Holder for rotary balls or bobbins.



F. L'LIGHTBODY.

HOLDER FOR ROTARY BALLS 0R BOBBINS. APPLICATION FILED APR-8, 191s.

1,21 5,825. Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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miu r n pv maw FRANK if. LIGHTBODY, OF VJATEETGHN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQB TO CAIVLBBIIDGE NOVELTY COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, IVIASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSLL CHUSE'ITS.

HOLDER FOE BALLS OR EOBBINS.

Application filed April 8, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. LIonrBoDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVatertown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Holders for Rotary Balls or Bobbins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for suspending a ball or bobbin of crocheting yarn from the operators wrist in such manner that the suspended ball is rotatable to give off the yarn as required.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple and efiective holder adapted to be quickly and conveniently engaged with a ball or bobbin, and with the operators wrist, and to permit free rotation of the ball and prevent downward movement or displacement thereof.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 represents a side view of a holder embodying my invention;

2 represents a side View showing the holder folded for storage;

Fig. 3 represents an edge view, and

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the bodkin portion of the holder detached.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

In the drawings, 12 represents a bracelet preferably of the approximately elliptical form shown by Figs. 1 and 2, the material of the bracelet being preferably cylindrical wire. The elliptical form of the bracelet enables it to be conveniently passed over the operators hand and brought to a bearing on the upper side of the wrist, the bearing or line of contact between the bracelet and wrist being limited to the upper side of the wrist by the elliptical form of the bracelet.

The bracelet is provided with an outwardly projecting ring orloop 13, which is rigidly secured to the bracelet and is preferably arranged at one end of the major axis of the same, the loop projecting wholly outside the bracelet, leaving the interior entirely unobstructed.

14 represents a bodkin made from sheet metal or other relatively stiif material hav- Patented Feb. 13, 191?.

Serial No. 89,795.

ing flat sides, the preferred material being sheet brass nickel plated.

The bodkin is provided with a penetrating point 15 at one end and is also provided near said point with an eye 16. The opposite end of the bodkin is provided with a flat sided enlargement adapted to support a ball 17 through which the bodkin is thrust. Said enlargement is preferably formed by two oppositely projecting wings or ears 18, the fiat sides of which constitute continuations of the fiat sides of the bodkin. The upper edges of said wings constitute seats on which the lower portion of the ball 17 bears.

The said flat sided enlargement constitutes a handle adapted to be grasped between a thumb and forefinger, so that the bodkin may be firmly held while being forced through the ball 17. Owing to the fact that the flat sided enlargement is integral with the bodkin, there is no liability of breaking or detaching it from the body portion of the bodkin by force employed in pushing the bodkin through the ball.

The bodkin is suspended from the bracelet by a swivel 19 having a hook 20 and a spring-pressed keeper 21, the hook being adapted to enter the bodkin eye 16 and the keeper preventing accidental detachment and permitting intentional detachment of the bodkin from the swivel. The swivel is connected by a ring 21 with the bracelet loop 13.

When the bodkin is inserted in a ball and depends from the bracelet, as shown by Figs. 1 and 3, the ball and bodkin are adapted to be freely rotated to give off the yarn as required.

It will be seen that the loop 13 immovably connected with the bracelet causes the swivel and the bodkin to depend from a predetermined portion of the bracelet, and also causes another predetermined portion of the bracelet to bear on the operators wrist. The last mentioned portion of the bracelet is caused by the elliptical form to have a limited bearing on the upper side of the wrist, so that the bracelet may be worn without uncomfortable contact with he wrist.

The elliptical form of the bracelet and the location of the loop 13 at one end of the major axis of the bracelet enables the holder to be folded by turning the swivel and bodkin backward upon or into the bracelet, as

indicated by Fig. 2, the holder being thus reduced to compact form for storage. The

, loop 13 immovably connected with the bracelet prevents the connection between the swivel and bracelet from being shifted indefinitely, and insures the retention of the parts in the position shown by Fig. 2 when the holder is folded. In other words, the swivel and bodkin swing from a fixed point on the bracelet and not from a point that is capable of shifting on the bracelet.

The elliptical form of the bracelet enables it to be slipped over hands of different sizes.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A ball holder comprising a bracelet of substantially elliptical form, having a rigid outwardly projecting loop at one end of its major axis, a bodkin composed of a fiatsided strip of stiff sheet material shorter than the major axis of the loop pointed at one end, and provided at the opposite end with an integral ball-supporting handleforming enlargement, the pointed end portion of the bodkin being provided with an eye, and a swivel loosely connected with said loop and detachably engaged with said eye, the said loop constituting an immovable connection between the swivel and a predetermined portion of the bracelet whereby another predetermined portion is caused to bear on the operators wrist, the loop also permitting the swivel and bodkin to be turned back substantially in alinement with the major axis of the bracelet to locate the bodkin within the loop for storage.

'In testimony whereof I have aflixed my :ignature.

FRANK J. LIGHTBODY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

